A bit of history here. When I was a freshman in high school, I had an English teacher (I'm embarrassed that I can't remember her name, because I can still see her face). Anyway, every other Friday we would have theater day. She had typed out all of the lyrics to the songs of a particular musical, copied them on a mimeograph machine (remember those?) and we'd sit there and listen to the record, and read along with the lyrics. I loved it so much, I made sure I had her again in my sophomore year.

This was my first introduction to musical theater, and how wonderful it was. I wonder if any teacher would do that today? It certainly enlarged my young horizons and started a lifelong love of musical theater,

I remember that I was horribly disappointed with the selection of Guinevere, since I had the lilting tones of Julie Andrews so firmly entrenched in my mind. So I went home and put on my copy of the Broadway soundtrack, convinced that it was the better choice,

And musically, it still is, but I have to admit that over the years I've softened for the film version.

Part of it is that I still love the music, but mainly, I find myself drawn into the film because the whole thing is just so gorgeous. The sets, the incredibly sumptuous costumes, the rich score. And yes, Vanessa Redgrave is also gorgeous. So is Richard Harris (even if he is a bit heavy on the eye makeup, hey, I forgive him). And Franco Nero is truly one of the great beauties of the screen. Apparently, Redgrave and Nero were falling in love in real life during the filming, and that certainly transfers to the screen.

But in the end, it's the story that grabs me. They meet. They fall in love. They get married (in a beautiful candlelit scene). They have wonderful plans to change the world. Their sphere expands with the entry of new people. Then their world comes crashing down. It's just amazingly beautiful, happy, sad, loving and tragic, all at the same time.

It seems that after some time together in the 1960s (after filming Camelot) they went their separate ways. Then, in 1996, their affair rekindled and one year later, they got married. And they're still happy to this day.

So some fairy tales do come true. I love the idea of Lancelot and Guinevere living happily ever after.